Thanks for the reassurance, camelama...the problem is, you don't know how many other people have pm'ed me that I've made the same mistake.

Alli_Lucy, LOVE the button collection! I have mine in watch-parts containers. And jars of rice and grain and whatnot. I've taken pictures but the light has been crummy. Have to remember to do it when it's sunny.

I did finally make it to Practical Goods to take photos. Here are some:

"Let me put you through the milk chute, dear, and you run and open the front door for Mommy..." Hee. We LOVED it when that happened because it was sanctioned shenanigans! Climbing through the milk chute! Wooo!

Some photos from a trip to the Czech Republic last spring of useful things that I found to have their own beauty.

Wooden casks in the kilometers of hand dug cellars under the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plsen.

Foot Reflexology poster in Prague. I like those kinds of posters anywhere and one night when we wondered I noticed that and had to take a shot. Not the highest photo quality, but still.

Dispenser of bags for collecting dog poop. The bags themselves come with a disposable paper dustpan-like scoop for getting the poop into the paper bags. They generally had humorous drawings of dogs on the dispensers and the bags.

I don't know how much this counts, but it was so darn striking. This is the bark on a tree fallen across the trail at a national park up near the border with Poland. It's useful for the tree, right?

Love those jars of buttons!! I absolutely love buttons! And I confess I do have a container fetish, so of course I love canning jars. I think I have an insane collection of those. Once at a yard sale I picked up 4 boxes of the cool ones with the glass lids! The old lady thought I was just darling, rescuing her old jars.

And those shots from Practical goods.... I love the colors. Kinda glad we don't have such a store, I would be in trouble!! My hubby already rolls his eyes when I go out thrifting or yard sale-ing!